1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron emission display. In particular, the present invention relates to an electron emission display having an improved structure of spacers therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electron emission displays refer to devices capable of displaying images by extracting and accelerating electrons from a cathode electrode, hot or cold, toward phosphorescent layers in a vacuum environment.
Electron emission displays employing cold cathodes refer to devices having cathode electrodes that, instead of employing heat, emit electrons by application of a strong electric field between cathode and gate electrodes. In particular, electrons may be extracted from electron emission regions located in the cathode electrode and accelerated toward phosphorescent layers, thereby exciting the phosphorescent layers to emit visible light upon contact therebetween.
A conventional electron emission display may include an electron emission unit with electron emission elements, e.g., Field Emission Array (FEA), Surface Conduction Emission (SCE), Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM), and Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS), on a first substrate, a light emission unit with phosphorescent layers on a second substrate, and a sealing member connecting the first and second substrates, such that the electron emission unit and light emission unit are enclosed in a vacuum environment, i.e., about 10−6 torr, between the first and second substrates.
The vacuum environment in the electron emission display may provide high compression therein due to the large pressure difference between the interior and the exterior thereof. Accordingly, a conventional electron emission display may also include a plurality of spacers coupled between the first and second substrates to support the structure thereof. The conventional spacers may be formed of a dielectric material, e.g., glass or ceramic, to minimize a potential for a short circuit between the cathode and gate electrodes on the first substrate and the anode electrode on the second substrate.
However, some electrons emitted during operation of the conventional electron emission display may collide with the conventional spacers, and, consequently, charge them with a positive or negative potential with respect to the material characteristic thereof. The charged spacers may alter the electric field in the electron emission display and, thereby, modify the trajectories of the electron beams. The modified trajectories may distort the correct color expressions and quality of the electron emission display.
Accordingly, there exists a need to improve the structure of the spacers in the electron emission display in order to minimize color and quality distortion therein.